Last June, Microsoft unveiled its secret plan to unseat the Apple iPad - a touch-enabled tablet with a detachable keyboard, dubbed the Microsoft Surface.

Better still, it would run a version of Windows built for the ARM platform, meaning it would have all-day battery life. The details, however, were sketchy and the media were not even allowed to touch the actual device. Today, the company made Surface with Windows RT available for pre-order, and released pricing, configuration, and other technical details for what executives have called "the ultimate stage for Windows." It will be available on Oct. 26.

Surface with Windows RT will initially be sold in three configurations. Prices start at $499 for the 32GB version, and a 32GB version bundled with a black Touch Cover will cost $599. There will also be a 64GB version bundled with a black Touch Cover priced at $699. Touch covers will be available separately for $119.99 each and will come in black, white, magenta, cyan, and red. (I was able to type on some prototypes of the Touch keyboard, and I have to say they performed better than I expected.) A black Type cover, with more substantial, moveable keys, will be available for $129.99.

To showcase this cooperation between the design, hardware, and software teams, Microsoft invited a group of journalists to its Redmond, Washington campus this week to meet the teams. We were able to see the device, meet the designers who imagined it, and talk to the engineers who built it. A lot of that discussion, unfortunately, was off the record. Still, I came away with a much better idea of what Surface is and how it will fit into the market.

"We knew we wanted to design a complete computing experience," Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows and Windows Live Division, said during that meeting. "So we designed all of the elements of the hardware and software together."

The Surface measures 10.8 by 6.8 by 0.4 inches (HWD) and weighs 1.5 pounds. It uses injection modeled magnesium, dubbed VaporMg, for its casing. The system runs on an Nvidia Tegra 3 (T30) quad-core processor and comes with Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0, and front- and rear-facing 720p HD cameras.

Perhaps the most important decision Microsoft faced was on the size of the screen. Microsoft chose to go with a larger, 10.6-inch screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio. By comparison, the Apple iPad has a 10.1-inch screen with a 4:3 aspect ratio. This means the Surface has a larger screen, but is slightly heavier for it. Nonetheless, the 10.6-inch screen is "just right" for a hybrid tablet, according to Panos Panay, general manager for Surface products at Microsoft.

A 10.1-inch display is too small to multitask and have multiple windows open, according to Panay, but the 11.1-inch alternative is too large to hold in one hand and use as a tablet. The 10.6-inch screen is the best of both worlds. "When you set your hands down in the keyboard position you can get a perfect typing experience," Panay said.

Plus, because movies are already in 16:9, you don't have to suffer the cinematic indignity of letterboxing.

Although Surface with Windows RT will not run existing Windows 7 applications, it does come with a lot of apps built in. Every device ships with custom versions of Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 RT Preview, which includes Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote. Surface also includes Windows Messaging, SkyDrive, Windows Internet Explorer 10, Bing, Xbox Music, Xbox Video, and Xbox Games.

If there was any takeaway from this excellent and thoroughly geeky day spent with Microsoft Surface's design and engineering teams, it is that the company has spent a tremendous amount of time thinking about every detail of the Surface tablet. For example, it wasn't enough that the kickstand was solid and easy to use; the hinges also needed to sound just right. Evidently, two of the three hinges seal the stand; the other hinge is there just to create the right sound.

"It is like the sound of a really high-end car door closing." Sinofsky said with a grin. "It just sounds nice."

Microsoft Surface is available today for pre-order, but will be available for sale online and in Microsoft stores on Oct. 26. For more, check out the slideshow above.

About the Author

Dan Costa is the Editor-in-Chief of PCMag.com and the Senior Vice President of Content for Ziff-Davis. He oversees the editorial operations for PCMag.com, Geek.com, ExtremeTech.com as well as PCMag's network of blogs, including AppScout and SecurityWatch. Dan makes frequent appearances on local, national, and international news programs, including ... See Full Bio

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